The biggest and most important choice I have made over the course of this long journey, is to stay connected. Connected to God, to friends, to family, to people. Isolation is the greatest enemy to someone suffering. It allows the enemy’s voice to rise to deafening levels and blinds you to any blessing that is present. It forces you to reject any glimmer of light and to project a future of despair and despondency.

The enemy thrives in isolation. A desolate place to plant seeds of doubt, rejection, confusion, hurt… So many of us falling victim without realizing how much we have relinquished our power to his evil purpose. Because isolation isn’t just physical. It is an omission of truth. I denial. A fabrication of fact. However it is described, it’s an isolation of your spirit from other people and God. It’s an illusion you maintain with the purpose to deceive.

It is a worldly device, intended to keep you grounded here. Your focus falls away from the truth you know, you have always known, but one that doesn’t fit the proper narrative of this place. Success is defined by perfectly timed, filtered photos, posted to publicly declare you are winning at life. I played along. I chose to paint a picture that had shades of truth, but never told the whole story. I made the choice to keep the truth locked away in a box of middle class suburban comfort.

The burden only lifted for us once there was nothing left to hide. We no longer had to keep up appearances. We could choose something else. We could begin to live with intent and joy and not just exist day to day. It may have taken time and patience, and a lot of trust, but it was so much better the way God worked it out. He never hopes for things to end, or for us to choose selfish or worldly things in place of Him or each other. He never wants anyone’s heart to break and have to heal, or for any soul to be confused and conformed to this world.

Free will changes things. Nothing means anything if it is forced. There have been so many more difficulties we have encountered, but every one, we have overcome. Each victory orchestrated by Him, guiding us to the next step. He leads us closer to each other and Him. The stillness we find when we surrender control to the one who actually has control, is incomparable. It won’t seem logical to any one who has their eyes focused on the world. It’s easy to lose sight in the center of a rainbow tornado.